Ice Bucket Challenge
by Atomix330
Summary: One Shot. A current theme. The staff at ACN take on the Ice Bucket Challenge.


**The Newsroom - Ice Bucket Challenge**

_A/N: A one shot on a current theme._

* * *

**Wednesday 27****th**** August 2014, 9:55 AM**

"And finally, as I think everyone has seen by now there's a new craze sweeping the globe at the moment."

"Yes the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, everyone from Bill Gates to Homer Simpson has done this to raise awareness of ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. Now I'm sure everyone knows how this works by now."

"Were you nominated?"

"Yes I was nominated by some 'friends' over at Fox."

"My sister nominated me."

"Well our producers said we should do this live on the air and seeing as it's a good cause we agreed. I think Danny from control has brought in the two buckets of ice water."

"Now who do you want to nominate, Tony?"

"I'm going to nominate Charlie Skinner who is the head of ACN's News Division, our producers James Goddard and Monica Fleming and my brother Colin Hart in Texas. And you Maria?"

"I'm nominating ACN's News Night presenter; Will McAvoy, his executive producer Mackenzie McHale and ACN's Chief Executive Reese Lansing."

"OK, shall we get this over with?"

"You pour."

"OK, but before I do don't forget to donate, details on screen now."

"Arghhhhh!" squealed Maria before happily drenching Tony in ice cold water.

"Charlie, James, Monica, Colin, Will, Mackenzie and Reese, you've got 24 hours. Good Luck."

"You've been with Maria Guerrero and Tony Hart. We'll back at the same time tomorrow at six-thirty watching ACN Morning eastern. Donna Murray is up after this with ACN Weather. Goodbye."

"_We're out."_

"God, has anyone got a towel, I'm freezing!" Maria complained.

* * *

Charlie Skinner leaned back in his chair as the commercials appeared on screen. He winced. He didn't like the idea of being drenched in icy water, even if it was in August. Involuntarily he shivered. Although he had seen a particularly stylish way of avoiding this latest craze that was sweeping the nation on YouTube yesterday. Yes, that was the way to do it, and it helped that he had a particular fondness for bourbon.

* * *

Reese had also been watching ACN Morning and thought that the drenching of the hosts was one of the highlights of the morning so far and he really didn't have a problem with doing the challenge. It's only August. And if everyone from Buzz Aldrin to George W. Bush had done it, why shouldn't he? The only problems he might have were if he nominated his mother. She would kill him. Not before having his character assassinated on primetime television. Now to find a bucket and some ice.

* * *

Will and Mackenzie had watched the last half an hour of ACN Morning over a late breakfast.

"So it's happened then." Mac remarked.

"Yep. Another crazy internet sensation." Will chuckled.

"Are you going to do it?"

"Not unless someone forces me to. You?"

"I'm thinking about it. One of my university friend's uncles had motor neurone disease."

"As does Stephen Hawking."

"He went to my old college at Cambridge."

"Explains why you're so smart." Mac giggled at her husband's response. "Well I don't think that the folks at ACN Morning have forgotten how Charlie put them down a couple of years ago."

"Well it's all for a good cause."

"I'll get someone to buy a bucket and some ice from the store then."

* * *

**10:37 AM**

"Jim, you got the ice?" Will asked the Senior Producer.

"Yeah, where are we going to do it?"

"In the parking lot. Mac and Reese are already down there."

"I wish you told me, it was a pain carting this stuff up twenty floors."

"Next time take the lift."

* * *

**10:42 AM**

"Neal is that camera working?"

"Like clockwork."

"Good 'because I'm sure Reese and I, don't want to have to go through a second take because somebody forgot to press record." Mac warned. "Oh and here comes the iceman and Jack Frost himself. Changed your mind yet Will?"

"Nope, you're the one who decided to get soaked."

"Aw…come on Will, be a man."

"I'm still debating whether to do it."

"It's pointless arguing with him Reese. Are the buckets ready?"

"Ready when you are," called Neal, "the camera is rolling."

"OK, Hi everyone, I'm Reese Lansing and this is Mackenzie McHale and we would like to thank Tony Hart and Maria Guerrero for nominating us to do the ALS ice bucket challenge."

"For those who don't know, ALS or Motor Neurone Disease is a serious degenerative disease and currently has no cure. Around 5,600 Americans are diagnosed with ALS each year and organisations like the ALS Association use the money we donate to fund research and provide care to sufferers of ALS."

"It's a worthy cause and we urge you to go to their website at .org and donate what you can. Further details appearing on screen now."

"Now one of the constituent parts of this challenge is our nomination of some fortunate others so I nominate my husband Will McAvoy, presenter of News Night who at the moment is debating whether or not to do this thing. I nominate by good friend Sloan Sabbith and I nominate Jane Barrow, presenter of ACN Late Night."

"And I also nominate Will McAvoy, I nominate Eliot Hirsch and I nominate Dana Walden and Gary Newman at Fox."

Both of them grimaced as Neal and Jim poured the icy water over them while Will chuckled in the background.

"You've got 24 hours. Good luck." Mac called.

One the camera stopped recording Mac turned on Will. "You're meant to be supportive, not giggling like a school girl," she put her hands on her hips.

"I'll see you upstairs when you've dried off!" Will chuckled as he left the parking lot.

"If he does nothing today, I've got a plan for revenge tomorrow." Mac told Reese.

"I want in on it, he needs to be taken down a peg or two."

* * *

**1:02 PM**

"Millie!" Charlie called for his secretary.

"Yes, Mr Skinner."

"Can you see if you can borrow from the Executive Dining Room a Champagne bucket full of ice and a set of tongs"

"Is this for the ice bucket challenge?"

"In a way yes. Can you get a camera in here? I can work it."

"Yes Mr Skinner. OK, now get that bucket, remember the ice."

Charlie then went over to his drinks cabinet and extracted a crystal bourbon decanter with matching glasses. He set them on his desk and waited for the return of his assistant.

* * *

**1:13 PM**

"Who are you nominating Sir?"

"I'm too old for this and if you want a nomination, you won't leave in the next couple of seconds." Millie chuckled as she left the office. She was fond of her boss, but she had no real desire to be doused in icy water.

Charlie got out his check-book and started recording. He filmed himself writing out a four figure sum for the ALS Association and put it aside. He'd get Millie to send it later. He then took the empty glass and placed a few lumps of ice in it from the bucket before drowning it in fine bourbon. He then toasted the camera before taking a sip. He put the glass down and stopped recording.

"Millie!" he called again. "Get this down to the newsroom and get someone to edit it and post it to the ACN YouTube account tell them to put the relevant details in the description.

"Who did you nominate?"

"Watch the video and find out."

* * *

**Thursday 28****th**** August 9:57 AM**

"And finally, before we go. I'm sure you remember that we did the ice bucket challenge this time yesterday in support of the ALS Association who fund research and care for those who suffer from ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, the details of which are appearing on screen now."

"We challenged Charlie Skinner who is the head of ACN's News Division, our producers James Goddard and Monica Fleming, Tony's brother Colin Hart in Texas, ACN's News Night presenter; Will McAvoy, his executive producer Mackenzie McHale and ACN's Chief Executive Reese Lansing."

"And as we speak, only Will McAvoy hasn't responded so we are going to give him another twelve hours or he is going to donate $100 for every hour he exceeds our original deadline."

"For videos of those at ACN who have gone and done the challenge, go to ACN's YouTube page."

"Charlie Skinner's response was certainly stylish."

"Yes, inspired by Patrick Stewart. But take a look. You've been with Maria Guerrero and Tony Hart. We'll back at the same time tomorrow at six-thirty watching ACN Morning eastern. Donna Murray is up after this with ACN Weather. Goodbye."

* * *

**11:21 AM**

"I hate you Kenz." Sloan groaned.

"Ready Jim?" Mackenzie chuckled at her friend's predicament.

"Camera is rolling."

"Hello, thanks to Mackenzie McHale for nominating me to do this. I nominate Jim Harper; Senior Producer at News Night, Don Kiefer; Executive Producer at Right Now with Eliot Hirsch and Will McAvoy who still hasn't done the challenge despite being nominated by four of us. Now tip the water."

Sloan squealed as she got drenched.

"Now, once you dry off we've got a meeting with Charlie, Reese and Mrs Lansing."

"What did we do?"

"Oh no we're all planning something for Will."

* * *

**12:01 PM**

"So your hare-brained scheme involves dropping a bucket of water over Will at the end of tonight's show without him knowing?" asked Leona, smiling deviously. "I like it and you have my full permission to do it."

"I like it to," announced Charlie, "he needs to lighten up a little."

"He's planning to say something about it at the end of tonight's show," said Mac, pleased at the reactions of her bosses.

"So it will be really appropriate."

"We can get the studio rigged for it."

"Then go do it and make sure the thing goes on YouTube."

"Understood."

* * *

**8:54 PM**

"Now it's come to my attention that Tony and Maria at ACN Morning, Reese Lansing; the CEO of Atlantis World Media, Sloan Sabbith and my wife and executive producer Mackenzie McHale have nominated me to do the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. However, I'm afraid that you won't be seeing me drenched in icy water any time soon."

"_Oh really Billy?" _He heard Mac whisper into his ear.

"Now I won't disagree that ALS is a worthy cause. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a serious degenerative disease that affects around 30,000 Americans at any one time with 5,600 new diagnoses every year. The ALS Association use donations to fund research and provide care for sufferers of ALS and have seen the value of donations made in the last month exceed the total value of all donations made in 2013 with over $42 million raised since July 29th. Everyone from George W. Bush to Justin Bieber to Bill Gates has done the challenge. At this network itself, our CEO and numerous members of staff have posted videos of themselves doing the challenge to ACN's channel on YouTube. I however will not be."

"_That's what you think."_ Mac quipped. Will ignored her.

"I do not think it should take an internet craze for people to start donating to charity. Some have claimed that all people are doing by posting their ice-bucket challenge video to social media. However, even then the true message is lost and it has become more about doing the challenge than supporting a worthy cause. This is perhaps best highlighted by a survey conducted in a British newspaper; _The Independent_ which found that over half of the survey's participants only didn't donate afterwards. The celebrities who have publicised this are also to blame with very few even mentioning the ALS Association in their own videos. So I'm going to dedicate these last few moments of primetime and ask you to donate to the ALS Association along with myself but I leave you with this message – ice is for drinks, water is for drinking, you shouldn't have to drench yourself in order to donate to charity. Instead take the initiative and go ahead and donate to the ALS Association and other worthy causes such as the International Red Cross, the Salvation Army and Doctors Without Borders. I'm Will McAvoy, Terry Smith is up next with the Capitol Report. Goodnight."

"_Will, look up."_ Mac ordered. Will complied.

He hadn't noticed that the cameras had all retreated from their normal positions. The only odd thing was that Mac borrowed his laptop so he didn't have it with him at the anchor desk. He also didn't notice that some of the studio lights had been repositioned and he hadn't bothered to look up at the ceiling. Another thing he hadn't bothered doing was look at his watch which would have told him that they had another 25 seconds on air and nobody had said that they had come off yet.

The cameras were still rolling.

Had Will been looking, he would have seen a 20 gallon box, filled to the brim with water and ice and rigged to tip at the touch of a button. Leona had the honour of performing the deed and pressed it with a gleeful smile on her face.

Will didn't know what had hit him.

One minute he was waiting for somebody to say that they were off the air and the next minute he was spluttering and soaked to the skin. It was then that the closing titles began to play followed by Herb announcing to the studio that they were out.

Then it hit him. The whole incident had been caught live on air.

"This is so going on YouTube! It might even be more popular than Will's antics at North Western." Mac chuckled.

"Do me a favour; don't let him ever forget this moment." Leona smiled.

"Revenge is a dish best served cold." Mac said to herself before going to find the towel and spare clothes she had prepared earlier.

Served cold indeed.

* * *

_A/N: I hope you liked that. The details of where to donate for the ALS Association are freely available online as are details for the other charities mentioned. Please review._


End file.
